Computers and computer-related technology have enabled users to instantaneously communicate with one another. For example, a single user may be associated with a portable phone, multiple email accounts, a pager, a personal digital assistant, an instant messaging device, and the like. Some of these technologies can be combined. For instance, today's cellular telephones can include email applications, wherein emails can be received at the cellular telephone shortly after an email is delivered to the email account. Similarly, text messaging can be employed over most portable telephones. Still further, some of today's automobiles are associated with phone applications. Pursuant to an example, automobiles can be associated with a microphone and speakers, such that when the automobile's phone number is dialed a radio can be disabled and a ring tone can be provided through the speakers. It can thus be discerned that today individuals associated with sufficient computing equipment can be contacted at almost any time in most regions (including while traveling).
Furthermore, technology has enabled multimedia to be delivered to portable devices, such as streaming video (which can be for entertainment purposes or advertisement purposes), streaming audio, etc. For instance, several of today's automobiles are equipped with monitors that enable users therein to watch videos (e.g., DVDs), review maps of an area, receive feeds from one or more broadcasting locations (through use of antennas), etc. Still further, vehicles can be altered to facilitate housing of video game applications, such that passengers within an automobile can be entertained throughout a journey.
There are instances, however, where it may not be desirable to enable a user to be contacted. For example, when traveling on a busy freeway during times of high traffic congestion, the user may not wish to be interrupted, as probabilities of an accident occurring are increased. Similarly, an advertiser would not wish to provide an advertisement to a user when the user is not likely to pay any attention to the advertisement. There is currently no effective manner, however, for determining a time that a user is most likely to wish to receive an alert during travel. For instance, route planning applications are static in that regardless of a context they output a same route, and provide no indication of where along the route a good point would be to receive a message.